The theater was founded by the
Samuel H. Levin which also owned many neighborhood theaters in the city as part of his chain known as San Francisco Theatres Inc., which included the
Alexandria,
Coronet, Coliseum, and
El Rey. It opened on February 27, 1926, as the New Balboa Theatre, with a 800 person seating capacity. It was named after
Vasco Núñez de Balboa. The CinemaSF chain which is associated with the nonprofit San Francisco Neighborhood Theatre Foundation, owns the Balboa Theater since 2012, as well as Vogue Theater, and 4-Star Theater in San Francisco. During the
COVID-19 pandemic, it was one of the local theaters that suffered a financial loss. == References ==